Bridgegate Gives Clinton Significant Lead Over Christie in Distant Election

FORT LEE, NJ - JANUARY 09: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie enters the Borough Hall in Fort Lee to apologize to Mayor Mark Sokolich on January 9, 2014 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. According to reports Christie's Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly is accused of giving a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge, allegedly as punishment for the Fort Lee, New Jersey mayor not endorsing the Governor during the election. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

Unfortunately for Hillary Clinton, bridgegate came just 32 months too early for an October surprise, but it’s still helped her pull ahead in the 2016 election. An NBC News/Marist poll found that Hillary Clinton is now beating Christie by thirteen points in a theoretical 2016 presidential face off, 50 percent to 37 percent among nationwide voters, while last month she had only a three-point lead. There’s good news for Christie, though: 68 percent say the scandal hasn’t changed their opinion of him. Twenty percent say the story makes them like him less and about a third of America thinks he’s “mostly not telling the truth” — suggesting some people think he’s a liar, but are cool withthat.